Elavan Days of Bade
by nightleviosa7
Summary: Everyone knows Jade and Beck are the best couple. Everyone also knows that Liz and Avan have great onscreen chemistry. But no one knows that Liz hates Avan more than Jade loathes the word 'tissue'. Will they ever get together?
1. Chapter 1

_I'm just trying this out...anyways, in this fanfic, Liz hates Avan with a passion. But in the end of course, there'll be a lot of ELAVAN. I hope you like it!_

* * *

><p>Liz's POV<p>

"_Aaaand, Cut!"_

I immediately let go of Avan's hand. He looked at me with a playful grin, his eyebrows raised.

Ech, his face disgusts me. Actually everything about him makes me barf. I rolled my eyes and made a show of wiping my hands on my acid-wash jeans. I went to Leon, who was far from Avan. Anything to escape the presence of the ugly lion. Haha, my little joke is insultingly hilarious.

"That was great, everyone! We'll do a reading after lunch, okay? I expect everyone to be here at exactly 1 pm!" Dan announced, smiling. We just filmed the three out of four episodes in two days. We were all tired, but happy. The cast cheered and whooped then went to get lunch.

Ariana casually hooked her arm around mine and started talking.

"You and Avan definitely have onscreen chemistry! If only you were like that offscreen..." Ariana trailed off, bursting into giggles. I laughed.

"I wouldn't date him even if he were the last idiot alive," I winked. Ariana shook her head, but she was still smiling. So you get my point. I don't like Avan Jogia, and I will never like him, no matter how much our fans pair us up. Our onscreen chemistry is basically my good acting skills pushed to the limit and his natural way of flirting.

"Why don't you like him?"

"He's a walking idiot, with no morals. He's the typical actor, who could flirt as soon as he learned how to talk," I said, flipping my hair. So maybe I was overreacting. But Ariana didn't say anything, which I was thankful for. We walked up to the line to buy some food. Ariana was quiet until we got to our table.

"Liz! Ariana!" Leon called. Ariana walked ahead of me and promptly sat down on the seat beside Leon's. I took the seat beside her. Fun, random conversations and laughter filled the air.

"Hey, where's Avan and Victoria?" Daniela Monet suddenly asked. I didn't even notice that they weren't here. I made a show of looking for them around the room.

"Probably eating by themselves," Matt shrugged. We went back to our chatter.

When we all finished with our lunches, we made our way back to the set of Tori's house. We found Avan and Victoria looking cozy on the couch. Ariana and Daniela sat on the other couches, while Leon and Matt sat on the floor, near them. I sat down on the couch opposite of the lovebirds and crossed my legs. Avan apparently said something funny, and Victoria was laughing like there was no tomorrow. Ari giggled and the guys smiled. My steely sapphire eyes bore into Avan's.

"Why don't you two just get a room?" I smirked. Victoria blushed and glanced at the ceiling, but Avan just laughed.

"Whoa, LizMcGills, do I sense a hint of jealousy in your tone?" Avan raised his eyebrows. His face broke into a smug smile. Victoria glanced at me, smiling uncertainly.

"Your senses failed you then. I remember my tone oozing pure sarcasm," I shot back. Ariana and Leon burst out laughing. Daniela and Matt were lost in their own conversation. Victoria was obviously ignoring the increasing tension.

"Well maybe you don't remember correctly."

"As a matter of fact, I do remember correctly. I also remember you have an ego the size of a hippo, so I forgive you for imagining the jealousy in my tone." I leaned forward, daring Avan to reply. He looked around, buying some time. Ha! Can't reply? Cat got your tongue?

"I was kidding about the jealousy thing!" he protested, half laughing.

"I wasn't."

He stared at me for a moment, then looked away. There was a hint of a frown on his face, and I stifled a giggle. His pride was definitely wounded.

I grinned. _Liz: 1; Avan: 0._


	2. Chapter 2

_Hey! It took me kind of long to update :(_

_But thank you to everyone who reviewed! I love you all and God bless haha :)_

_I hope you like this chapter!_

_Note: I don't own any of the characters or Victorious. And my story won't be according to the accurate dates. It'll just be how I want it to come together, you know? I'm sorry if some is not based on facts! but that's why it's called fiction, right? :) i hope you enjoy! please review!_

* * *

><p>Avan's POV<p>

Elizabeth Gillies.

The name rolls on my tongue. It has a nice ring to it. _E-li-za-beth Gill-lees._

What a pretty name, for beautiful girl. When she arrives, everyone in the room notices. Her beauty makes people stop and look. Pale white, glowing skin. Sapphire blue eyes full of life. Long, dark locks that frame her face perfectly. She's fun, witty, and hilarious. Well to the others, at least.

I don't get her at all.

Onscreen, we have the most amazing chemistry. Offscreen, we're a different story.

She sure knows how to act well.

"Your senses failed you then. I remember my tone oozing pure sarcasm," she countered. I couldn't take my eyes of her smug face and the fire in her electric blue eyes. Finally, I had to look away.

Her last comment stung a little, but I shrugged it off. She must really hate me, even though I don't know what I did to her. She was good at arguing, just like her character, Jade West. I tried to make her jealous by putting my arm around Victoria, but I knew that had little effect.

"Well maybe you don't remember correctly." I stuck to the only reply I could think of.

"As a matter of fact, I do remember correctly. I also remember you have an ego the size of a hippo, so I forgive you for imagining the jealousy in my tone." She leaned forward, her eyes determined, daring me to reply.

This was ridiculous. I met her a week ago, I barely know her, and we're arguing already. She is one peculiar lady.

I looked at my other castmates. I wanted to get to know all of them better, even though we all are good friends already. They were all like family. And they were all laughing at Liz's witty remark.

"I was kidding about the jealousy thing!" I protested, half laughing. I didn't know what else to do.

"I wasn't." was her blunt reply.

I love her honesty, really. I just hate the fact that she hates me so much.

I stared at her, straight in the eye. Those beautiful blue orbs were passionate and full of life. Her confident expression faltered a little, and I looked away.

"Guys!"

Dan's cheerful voice startled me. I turned around.

"We're going to have a table read of episode five, 'Jade Dumps Beck'. C'mon!"

We all got up and headed straight to Room 101. That' where we had all our table readings, so far. I was at the end of the group so when I entered the room, there was only one seat missing. And it was beside Liz. Oh well.

I sat down and we began the table read. I was kind of bored throughout the thing, really. Liz and I did our usual thing, acting like sparks fly every time we spoke to each other as Jade and Beck. Not that sparks don't fly when we speak to each other as ourselves though. I mean, come on, who doesn't notice the venom in her voice?

The table read ended a little earlier than expected. Dan dismissed us after one of his little speeches.

"Tomorrow, we'll film two to three episodes. So you guys should get enough sleep, for we are starting bright and early tomorrow! Have a great night," Dan's voice echoed throughout the room.

Everyone rose to leave. I gathered my stuff—my hat, the script for tomorrow's episode, and my phone. Just as I was about to leave, there was a sudden tap on my shoulder. I turned around.

"See you tomorrow, Avan!" Ariana waved. She smiled, her teeth shining. I grinned and waved her goodbye. I turned to leave. Liz was still dumping her script and highlighters in her big, black bag.

She was so exasperating, and she wasn't friendly to me at all. I decided to leave without saying a word.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw her planning on doing the same thing. She waved goodbye to everyone (except me, of course. She just glanced at me for a millisecond) and opened the door to leave. Except she tripped on Ariana's outstretched foot. And I caught her. Ariana gasped.

"Liz! I am so sorry!" she turned around just in time for her to see Liz in my arms. Liz's hair was all over her face, but from where I was (which was pretty close) I could see her shocked expression. Her cheeks were flushed and her eyes were bright.

Then all of a sudden, a giggle escaped her lips. She immediately clamped her mouth, but I could she was smiling. I officially declare Liz Gillies as the most unpredictable person I've ever met.

I let go of her, and she is out of my arms in a dash. Ariana and Liz start laughing with Matt and Leon, so I decided to leave.

"Bye," I mouthed to Victoria, who was in the middle of a conversation with Dan. She waved back. I turned to leave but then a pale hand grabbed my shoulder.

"Bye, Jogia, and thanks." that sharp voice startled me as I stepped out of the room. I faced her. For once, she looked at me with a sincere smile. Her signature no-teeth smile, of course. She looked almost innocent.

"See you tomorrow, Liz." I replied and went on my way.

Her little greeting surprised me, but I didn't have time to think about it because my phone suddenly beeped.

_1 new message from Zoey._

I clicked open right away. I scanned her message and went straight to the nearest Starbucks. I'm not a big fan of coffee though. I'm more of a tea guy.

_Coffee, tonight? You still owe me a caramel macchiato. _

But still, I liked Zoey a lot, and I wanted to impress her, so I went ahead and bought two coffees.

I grinned to myself as I watched her from inside. She just got out of a taxi, and she was paying the driver.

We'd be together soon enough.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Liz's POV

I struggled to keep my eyes open the next day. I was on the set of _Victorious, _but it looked like I came from _Zombieland _instead.

"Hey, Liz!" Ari waved. I yawned. _Who could be that happy at this ungodly hour? _I thought. But I instantly waved back and smiled lazily.

"Lizzzzzzzzzzieehh," Matt greeted in that exaggerated way of his. I laughed. I spotted Victoria and Avan talking excitedly in a corner. The crew was still setting up and discussing the lighting.

"Where's Leon?" I asked both of them. Ariana shrugged.

"He's usually early." Matt glanced at me.

"Well, I won't be surprised if he overslept. We had a livechat late last night," I yawned again.

"That sounds like fun," Ari said. I mindlessly nodded.

I'm pretty sure they kept the conversation going, and I think I replied here and there, but I wasn't really in the right mind. After a few minutes, Leon arrived. He looked as dead as I felt and we laughed when we saw each other.

"Okay peeps. Time to get the show rollin'!" Dan's voice boomed. Leon turned to go to make up, while we all scrambled to go to our places.

Liz's POV

The shooting of the first episode we filmed today went exceptionally well, even if I was a half-zombie. I was greatly relieved when Dan yelled the final, "AAAAND, CUT!" We now had a two hour lunch break. I immediately speed-walked to my trailer. I daydreamed of my cozy sofa in the trailer.

"Zoey kissed you on the cheek?" Victoria's shrill voice cut through my trance. I shot a quick glance at who she was talking to. Surprise, surprise. It's Avan. I didn't know who Zoey was, and I really didn't want to listen to their conversation.

"Shut up!" Avan laughed and punched Victoria lightly. "But yeah, I vaguely remember her doing that." he lowered his voice slightly. He caught me glancing in their direction.

I snorted and rolled my eyes. I opened the door to my trailer. Just as I put my foot inside, a hand grabbed my arm roughly. I looked up. I was now face to face with infamous Avan Jogia.

"What." I snapped. I glanced at his face. His eyes were shooting murderous daggers but his face was surprisingly calm.

"Eavesdropper." The accusation hung in the air.

"Get over yourself. I don't care about anything that involves you. I was just leaving, Jogia," I practically spat. Avan tightened his grip on me.

"You're such an idiot, Liz." he said in a low, angry voice.

"So is your face." I retorted.

"Well I got that from spending too much time acting on set with you."

"So you admit your face is an idiot?" I jerked my hand away from his grip and slammed the door of my trailer. ARGH. He was so frustrating! As if I care what happens to him!

I threw myself on the soft, velvety brown sofa and flipped through my script. I needed to memorize my lines to distract myself. After a few minutes, the words started getting blurry. I felt my eyes slowly close and my head drift off to dreamland.

Avan's POV

"Avan, this is getting serious. You guys fight like five-year-olds. You have to talk to her." Victoria said for the nth time. I exhaled loudly. She's been talking me into making things right with Liz ever since I lost my cool and she slammed the door in my face.

"So what? If she doesn't want to be friends, then I don't want to be her friend either." I turned away.

"Avan Tudor Jogia, you sound an awful lot like a child. Talk to her or I will," Victoria used her listen-to-me-I'm-your-best-friend voice. I rolled my eyes.

"Fine. I'll try. But if the trailer explodes, it's your fault." I stalked off and headed towards Liz's trailer.

_I was going to give Liz a piece of my mind. I'm going to make her listen to me. _I thought defiantly.

But as I opened the door to her trailer, all my angry thoughts and well-thought of comebacks vanished. Liz was sound asleep on her chocolate-brown couch. And (though I hate to admit this but) she looked absolutely beautiful. Her hair framed her face perfectly, and was spread out on the pillow like she was going to pose for a picture. Her facial expression was peaceful and her lips formed a half-smirk.

No, no, no. I wasn't falling for Elizabeth "I despise Avan's guts" Gillies. But why did I suddenly kneel down and stroke her hair? I pushed it away from her face and admired the contrast between her pale glowing skin and dark brown hair. She had forgotten to take out Jade's highlights.

She stirred. I jumped up. I nervously ran my hands through my hair. Her head turned to rest on the other side of the armrest. I sighed in relief. I turned to leave. Before I turned the closed the door, I looked back one last time at the ice princess.

Victoria immediately grabbed me by the shoulders as soon as I went out. "I assume it went well?" she raised her eyebrow jokingly.

"I didn't even get to talk to her. She's asleep," I shrugged. Victoria nodded.

"You'll talk to her later then." And with a flip of her hair, she walked over to Ariana, Matt, and Leon. I sighed and followed her. Victoria was very persistent.

Liz's POV

As soon as I felt a sharp pain on my finger, I shot up from the couch. Ugh, paper cut. I immediately grabbed tissue from my table and pressed it on my finger. I glanced at the clock. I had exactly 27 minutes to eat lunch.

I grabbed my script with my good hand and my cup of tinted water on the other. I ran out my trailer.

I headed towards the place we usually hang out in and quickly grabbed a salad. The guys were playing video games (what's new) and the girls were either watching them play or talking. I sat between Ariana and Victoria.

Just as I was sitting down, Avan quickly turned his head. I caught his eye and he quickly looked away. I rolled my eyes.

"Liz, can I tell you something?" Ari whispered in my ear. I nodded, chewing my salad.

"Sure. Right now?" I raised my still "studded" eyebrow. Ari nervously looked around.

"Okay, but we have to go somewhere private." she said louder. The rest of the cast yelled and hooted as Matt's car crashed into Leon's. I nodded and quickly stood up. Ari trailed after me.

As soon as we were outside, Ari grabbed my hand.

"Pinky-promise-you-won't-tell?" Ari said in a rush. We shook pinkies.

"Okay, so...I have a crush on someone." Ari began. I continued to eat my salad.

"Is he in the Victorious cast or..." I trailed off. I forked another leaf and and put it in my mouth.

"Yeah. Promise you won't get mad?"

"Of course I won't! Why would I?" I replied with a smile. Ari just looked down on her feet.

"The suspense is killing me! Who is it?" I said a little loudly. I was guessing it was Matt since they hung out all the time. I was hopping on my two feet in excitement while eating.

"I have a crush on...Avan."

I spit my food out on the pavement.

* * *

><p><em>Sorry for the cliff hanger! I hope you enjoyed that one. Please review! I like reading your comments and suggestions and stuff. Please don't favorite or follow without reviewing!<em>


	4. Chapter 4

_Hey people!_

_I know, I know, I haven't been here for a while. I'm sorry for not updating for the longest time!_

_This is a short chapter but I promise the next one will be longer! :)_

_Thanks for reading and I love you all 3_

* * *

><p>Chapter 4<p>

Avan's POV

Normally, Liz would give me cold looks or glare at me from time to time. Now she won't even look at me. That woman is beyond confusing. Not to mention exasperating, frustrating, and very unpredictable.

After lunch, we filmed a couple of scenes from "Jade Dumps Beck". I couldn't help but feel real anger when we were arguing. Both Liz and Jade were getting on my (and Beck's!) nerves. Liz was her usual great self though, really internalizing her character and pulling all of her witty remarks off. But after each scene, Liz's normally fiery and passionate sapphire orbs would look lost, or vacant even.

Even though we're not actually friends, I can't help but say I'm a little worried.

So when we had a short break after a perfectly filmed scene, I followed her as she approached the coffee-and-donut table. Weird, I thought. I never really saw her eat sweets before.

She was just staring at the assorted donuts, her eyes blank once again. Her fingers hovered tentatively on a glazed donut.

I chose that moment to tap her bare pale shoulder.

It took her a good five seconds before she looked up.

Yup, something was definitely wrong.

Liz's POV

Ariana's confession took me by surprise. It shook me and threatened to haunt my dreams. (Okay so that's an exaggeration, but really. Of all people, why him?)

Seeing Avan on set didn't make it seem less real. In fact, I noticed things that I hadn't before. The way Ariana flirted and twirled her hair, the way she laughed loudly at his unfunny antics, stuff like that.

It all made me want to puke my insides out, really.

But Ari was my best friend, and I want her to be happy. I would support her all the way.

I really needed to talk to that Avan kid though. If he ever hurts Ariana, I'd murder him with Jade's scissors. No kidding.

I decided to save a lousy conversation with him for another day and completely ignore him. I didn't want to talk to the freak who made my closest friend fall in love with him. Argh.

Instead, I focused all of my energy into my acting. I gave my best in the scenes we had to film today, just to get my mind off the thought of Ariana and Avan.

"Take a short break," Dan called out. He gestured to the table of snacks (filled with greasy donuts and cold coffee) as he made his way to the director and the crew.

Now that we were done filming for a while, my mind wandered off to Ariana again.

I was so focused on thinking of how to talk to Ari about how I really think Avan is not right for her that I didn't notice my hand lingering over the donuts.

Or the jerk himself walking up to me.

And tapping my shoulder.

It took me seconds to realize that the freak actually wanted to talk to me.

Avan's POV

"What." Liz's voice lacked its usual venom.

"Liz, I'm sorry for starting a fight with you a while ago," I said, trying to be as civil as possible. She crinkled her perfectly waxed eyebrows.

"'Kay." she murmured, turning away from me. What, no witty comeback? No rude remark? This was one weird day.

I kind of miss the real Liz.

I put my arm on her shoulder.

"Wha-what are you doing?" she pushed me away immediately. The glare in her eyes was back, but her tone was full of confusion. My plan worked.

"You seem kind of distracted. Is something wrong?" I asked with a hint of concern.

"None of your business, Jogia," she stalked off. Like the annoying fly she thinks I am, I followed her.

"Liz, please. I'm trying to be friends with you. Are you okay?" I grabbed her arm. She stopped walking and jerked her arm from my hold. I tightened my grip.

"This is abuse, Jogia." Liz stared at me. Then she rolled her eyes. "I'm fine, never better," I heard a slight tone of uncertainty in her voice.

"Now let go." she demanded. I look her in the eye. Liz sort of shrinks back, which she's never done before. She looked fragile and innocent. What is the world coming to?

I don't know what takes over me (maybe it was the way her eyes shone with confusion or my good guy instincts) but I suddenly pull her and envelop her in a hug.

And I hate to admit this but...

It felt nice.

Liz's POV

WHAT THE FREAKING HECK DOES HE THINK HE'S DOING, HUGGING ME LIKE WE'RE _FRIENDS?_

_"_Let go of me!" I beat his chest with my fists. But he stayed like that, hugging me like Beck would do to Jade, his chin resting on my head. He still wouldn't let go.

I'm not one to give up easily though.

I stomped on his foot with my heavy combat boots.

Avan's POV

"OW!" I yelped, letting go of Liz to look at my foot. She stood there with a satisfied smirk on her face. Then she stalked off, leaving me with confusion and mixed emotions.

I really did hate/like her.

ARGH.

Wait, did I say like?

Liz's POV

The results were hilarious. Avan's stricken face was worth it.

Though I can't help but remember the feeling of being in his arms.

Wait, gross! What am I thinking?

Ugh. I need a cup of tinted water now please.

I head towards my trailer and stay there for the rest of the break. I didn't want anymore encounters with him.

ARGH. I hate him. I hate that look in his eyes, his overconfident stance, and the way he makes my head spin sometimes. WAIT WHAT.

I think I am going soft.

Maybe I'm hallucinating from the lack of sleep and I just need a nap to take all of this away.

I jumped on my couch and closed my eyes, immediately drifting off.

* * *

><p><em>I hope you still remember this fic, haha! Please read AND review! Don't favorite without reviewing please! :)<em>

_Review for a faster update. Thank you so much! 455689302_


	5. Chapter 5

_This is really late and so un-updated...I'm not sure if people still read bade fanfic so yeah haha here's Chapter 5! Sorry it took so long._

* * *

><p>Liz's POV<p>

"Dan said we're having dinner out tonight!" Ariana chirps, as she walks in the set of Sikowitz's classroom.

"Really." Liz absentmindedly twirls her hair as she reads their script. Today she got there earlier than usual to memorize her lines and explore Jade's personality even more.

"Yeah, as a cast! He said we have to dress nicely so we get to go home early today to fix-up!" Ariana says as she casually snatches the script off Liz's fingers. "You're not even listening." She giggles.

"Hey! I was studying that," Liz stands up, grabbing it back, and goes back to sitting Indian style on the floor. "And I heard you okay. Leave me to study in peace," she laughs and pretends to shoo Ari away.

"Okay, okay! But-" The door opens and cuts Ariana off.

"Morning," a deep voice greets. Ariana reddens slightly.

"G'morning, Avan!" is her extra perky reply. Liz peers at their exchange and hides her face behind her script. Go away, she thinks.

Apparently Avan can't read minds so he bends down and gently pushes her script down with two fingers. "Hi."

His warm cocoa eyes meets Liz's icy blue ones for a minute until she had to look away. So much tension comes with their stares. Also because he has the deepest chocolate eyes and he could hold her gaze forever, if he wanted to. Ew, scratch that. It was more of his face being too annoying for her to handle. "Hi. Now go away, I'm memorizing." Avan shrugs and gets back on his feet. He finds a seat next to Ariana and immediately starts texting on his phone. (Such nice manners, Jogia, she rolls her eyes sarcastically)

She leans on the wall and pretends to be immersed in her lines. Out of the corner of her eye though, she could see Ari giggling and batting her thick eyelashes at him.

Since when did her Broadway best friend have such bad taste?

Avan's POV

The day flies by quickly since they only had reading and some minor scenes to film so he had time to sneak texts to Zoey in between takes.

From: Zoey

You up for a latte later?

To: Zoey

Sure. How late is later?

From: Zoey

Not too late, not too early. See ya at 10? the Starbucks near my place.

To: Zoey

Okay, can't wait. See you. :)

Avan grins. Twice in a week! Maybe he's not destined to eternal single-dom after all. Though he feels like his face would crack by the way he was smiling so big, he couldn't wait to break the news to Vic.

"Yo Avan," Leon calls. "We're heading to our trailers now to fix up and change then leave together to go to the resto. You better hurry, man." He waves as he walks out of the Hollywood Arts hallway.

"Yeah, thanks," Avan slightly nods, his eyes still focused on his phone. It beeps and he clicks open right away.

From: Zoey

Whoever gets there later is buying. Hahaha.

Before Avan even has a chance to reply, someone crashes into him. He drops his phone in his pocket and steadies the person in front of him. Liz. And she looks, well, frazzled.

"Oh. Sorry," she blinks, barely looking up at him. Confusion sets in his eyes but he keeps his hands on the sides of her arms. She apologized to him! And she didn't say, "Watch where you're going, doofus!" or any other insulting name she could think of as she normally would. Something is definitely up.

"I'm sorry; I wasn't looking. Are you...are you alright?" the latter part comes as an instinct. She looks distracted and lost in her thoughts. But then she regains her composure and remembers that she's standing in front of Avan Jogia, the guy she hates with all her being, and a hint of a scowl comes back.

"None of your business, Jogia," she pushes past him and heads to her trailer, which is on the other side. What a weirdo, Avan thinks as he strolls to his trailer. He tries to focus on picking the right clothes for the night but he can't help but think about Liz's distant expression. He's never seen the porcelain-white girl look anything but confident and in-control. And the fact that she looked so delicate, vulnerable even! He pushes those thoughts away. What does he care? She loathes his guts, and he hates her too. They're not even friends!

Or so he tries to convince himself.

Liz's POV

"I was wrong to bring my hopes up," Ari moans and sinks dramatically on Liz's couch.

Liz bites her lip to keep from saying, "Well yeah, he's a playboy who can't stand being single. And don't you think he has enough options already?" But she knows better. Instead she nods and starts re-applying her eyeliner.

"Who knew he liked long and lean girls with brownish-blonde hair," Ari says as she twirls long strands of her red velvet locks around her finger.

"It's just a crush anyway. It'll pass," Liz puts her eyeliner pencil down and pulls Ari off the couch. "Don't you wanna look good tonight though? Who knows, he might change his mind," she manages a small smile while mentally deleting disturbing imaginary couple pictures of Ari and Avan in her head. She didn't want Ariana to be down and whiney during dinner.

"C'mon, wear your pale pink dress. It goes well with your hair and eyes," Liz offers, trying to be a good friend. Ariana nods slightly and grins.

"Thanks, Liz," she hops and skips to her trailer. Liz sighs and finishes doing her makeup.

Hopefully Ari gets over this happy crush a little earlier than usual.

Avan's POV

"Liz!" Matt calls and heads over to the lean brunette. She whips her head and even Avan has to (grudgingly) admit she looks beautiful. Her face looks so natural and the black dress she's wearing really compliments her pale, porcelain skin. He shakes his head and tears his eyes away from her. He's not supposed to think about his co-star like that. Especially her.

"Avan! Hi!" Ari punctuates her greeting with a wave. He half-smiles at her. She was the cutie of the cast. Always perky and always giggly too.

"Hey, Ari. You're looking pretty tonight," he says, offering her his arm. She blushes and takes it anyway. "Thanks," she mumbles.

But before long, Vic steers Ariana away from him and he's stuck behind the laughing Liz, Matt, and Leon as they squeeze through the tight aisles of the restaurant.

"This way please, ma'am and sir," the waiter says as he leads the way to the private room.

"And then Matt hid-whoa!" Liz suddenly screams as she trips on her own high heels and slips on some spilled soy sauce on the wooden floor. She falls backwards, albeit still gracefully. Leon and Matt both make a move to catch her, but Avan is faster. He hugs her from behind and holds her arms steady. "I got you," he says quietly.

"Phew, girl, are you okay?" Leon asks and holds her arm. Avan lets go once he's sure she's steady and runs a hand awkwardly through his hair. "Yeah, it's just, my life flashed before my eyes, you know?" she laughs loudly.

"Are you always that clumsy?" Matt chuckles and takes her hand. Liz smirks at him and slaps his back with her free hand.

"Yeah, I always end up tripping on myself," she tells them. Then she turns to Avan, who is trying to get past the actual feeling of her in his arms and willing the awkward moment to pass. They have one of those tension-filled stares again.

"Thank you, again," she finally flashes him her no-teeth smile. "I owe you another one." Is it just him, or are her eyes actually glowing with sincere thanks? Nah, he must be imagining things. She can't be nice. Well at least to him.

Until Liz, in her gratitude, pulls him into a hug.

And Avan can't help but hug her back. (He has to admit, it's not bad at all, plus she smells really good – like vanilla. Not to be creepy or anything.)

Liz's POV

Liz doesn't know why she hugs Avan. But it seems like an appropriate response. He did catch her and keep her from possibly falling on her back and cracking her skull open. Now that would not be a pretty sight. (It might be kinda cool though?)

She pulls back abruptly and awkwardly smiles at him again before she turns to Matt and Leon. That was too weird for words, wow.

They finally get to the room and she finds that Ari has saved a seat for her. She grins and sinks on the soft, velvet chair. Matt pulls the seat next to her and plops right down. As she laughs at his crazy antics, she couldn't help but notice out of the corner of her eye that Avan is heading towards the seat in front of her.

Liz inwardly groans and wishes the night wouldn't reek of awkwardness and fake smiles.

Avan's POV

So I get the seat directly in front of Liz. I somehow don't feel as bad as I thought I would. And a part of me is somewhat excited, though I don't know why.

"Okay, cast! Order anything you want, mingle, and don't drink too much! We have work tomorrow," Dan says cheerfully. "To take a break from all the filming, we're having a photo shoot tomorrow! It'll be lotsa fun!" He adds with a wink.

The cast exchanges high-fives and whoops. 'Even Liz looked happier than usual,' Avan notices.

Maybe Liz IS happier than usual because she actually starts a decent and civil conversation with Avan, who is pleasantly surprised.

"Have you seen the movie 'Black Swan' yet?" she suddenly turns to him directly. Liz didn't have one of those intense and scary Jade-like stares either. In fact, she is almost smiling at him. Like they are friends.

"Nope. I plan to catch it soon though. I love movies," he replies with a little grin. He picks a pork dumpling up with his toothpick.

"Oh, same here," Liz nods, chewing on some steamed vegetables. Vegan and gluten-free. How could she stand it? Avan wonders. Girls and their weight loss issues.

It is silent for a moment, with both of them eating, but Avan refuses to let the conversation die. "So um, if you don't mind me asking, why do you eat healthy all the time?"

Liz actually laughs at his honest question. "Food allergies," she says, "I have to go on a vegan and gluten-free diet because I'm allergic to most food." Her face turns serious then, and she pops an almond in her mouth.

"Oh! I thought you just wanted to lost weight," Avan looks down on his plate full of fried pork, sweet and sour fish, and Chinese-style fried chicken. "Sorry," he adds in a low voice.

"If I could eat Pop Tarts and sugary-sweet chocolate bars everyday, I would," Liz says jokingly in a gruff voice with a slightly British accent. But Avan could see that she meant it.

And then he feels slightly bad for her and kind of wants to be her friend.

Liz's POV:

She walks to set the next morning but is immediately whisked to her trailer for hair and makeup. 'Oh right,' she muses, 'the photo shoot's today.' She suddenly can't wait to dress up and see Jade's black and blue ensembles for the promo.

What she didn't expect to see though, is a small brown box on her wooden desk. 'Must be a prank gift from Matt,' she rolls her eyes and grins. But as soon as she picks the card up, she almost drops it.

Liz,

It's vegan and gluten-free homemade chocolate Pop Tarts from an art cafè you might like. Enjoy!

Avan

P.S. Black Swan at 8 pm on Saturday?

'Was I that friendly last night?' she flips the card over and examines the box for a prank or mistake. He supposedly kind of hates her, right?

Then her mind wanders to when he caught her in the restaurant. She vividly remembers the steady and firm but gentle grip he had on her. Almost like he actually cared.

She shakes her head. Better not eat this. There might be some unnamed wheat or allergen in there. Who knows, maybe Avan wants her to get sick and get kicked out of the cast. You can't trust playboys like him. But Liz feels like all those reasons aren't valid anymore. Or that she doesn't hate him and his hair as much. She takes a piece of the Pop Tart.

A little too dry but hey, it's the thought that counts.

Avan's POV

She will hate me for sure.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

**Liz's POV**

"Whaddup, whaddup Liz Gillies," Victoria says while doing exaggerated rapping movements. Liz laughs.

"Stop talking urban, Vic, or you might get the hiccups like Tori," she warns teasingly. Victoria looks as if she was going to reply but is whisked away to the set of the shoot. Solo shots first, Dan had said. Liz is left standing there and watching them fix Vic's pose.

"Liz, I love what you're wearing!" Ari bounces out of nowhere. "Thanks, dingus. You look extra cutesy in that outfit it makes me wanna barf," Liz winks at the perky redhead. Ari giggles. Liz rubs her hands up and down her arms. It is extra cold today and Jade's lace adorned outfit isn't helping.

"Hey girls," Matt dances his way to them as Leon and Avan walk behind him. Matt wiggles his eyebrows. Leon smiles at them and Avan looks up, but he seems to be avoiding Liz's eyes. Okay so what's up with the mood swings, pony boy? I thought you're playing nice now, she thinks.

The shoot drones on and Liz and Avan are the last ones on the list. (They are playing the only steady couple in the cast after all.) Liz sneaks a glance at him and catches him peering at her too.

**Avan's POV**

She looks so pale and haunting under the winter morning sky and Avan forces himself not to look at her. Well, that worked until they were the last ones left waiting.

He decides to approach her first.

"So..." He trails off. She turns to him completely.

"So, thanks for the thoughtful gift," she says directly. No frou-frou small talk. Avan smiles.

"I..I'm glad you liked it." he replies, running his hand through his hair. And then awkward silence. Now the movie...he dares not finish the thought. He didn't even know why he invited her in the first place!

Liz smiles like she knows what he is thinking but Avan notices her shiver a bit. She looks as if she was freezing and catching a cold, with the way her cheeks are getting rosier by the minute.

"Here," he doesn't bother asking and decidedly removes his thick jean jacket and places it on Liz's quivering shoulders. A look of relief washes over her face and she nods her head almost imperceptibly in gratitude. "Th-thanks," she stammers, wrapping the jacket tighter around her shoulders.

**Liz's POV**

Liz feels his eyes on her head as she tries to take in the warmth from his jacket and decides to just cut to the chase.

"About the movie." She looks up.

"Yeah?" He locks eyes with her. Is that a glint of hope? Ew I hope not.

"I'll meet you there at 7:40." A small smile starts playing on Avan's lips.

"Nah, I'll pick you up and drive you there. Is 7:15 at your place okay? You'll have to give me the address though," he takes his scarf off his neck and wraps it around Liz. He appears to be busying himself so he won't have to look at her directly.

"Um, sure."

"Cool."

"Cool," Liz can't believe she agreed to go out with him on Saturday.

She doesn't have time to rethink her decision though because they are both called to set. It is only after they are finished and Avan mouths a hurried "See ya on Saturday!" as he talked to someone on the phone did Liz realize that she forgot about one little tiny detail.

What will Ari think about this once she finds out?!

**Avan's POV**

"Hey, you." the smooth voice on the other end of the line makes his palms sweat.

"Hey!" Ooh, Avan. Too enthusiastic. "Hold on a second," he says over the phone as he catches a glimpse of Liz's retreating figure. He covers the mouthpiece of his phone. "See you on Saturday!" Avan calls. Liz gives him a wave in return.

"So..." Avan starts, prompting Zoey to continue.

"So I was thinking of catching a movie this Saturday," she says casually. She sounds like she was twirling strands of her hair as she was talking on the phone.

"Ohh, sorry Zoe I can't. Already made plans Saturday night." he wonders why he doesn't feel as apologetic as he thought he would be.

"Oh." was Zoey's response. He couldn't read her tone.

"You see," Avan starts to explain. He hears Zoey clear her throat. He pushes on.

"Remember when I told you I wasn't on good terms with my cast mate? Well she finally agreed to do something with me this Saturday and that's a major success because before she wouldn't even look at me, let alone talk to me so I really wanted to finally be friends with her because it's so tiring to be fighting on set, y'know? Then the other day..." Avan's words come out in a rush. Zoey interrupts his ramble with a laugh.

"Okay, okay I get it," she says, and he could hear her smiling. "Well, have fun you two!"

"Thanks, Zoe," Avan breathes a sigh of relief. "I'll see you soon, okay?" he says, hoping he doesn't sound too desperate.

"Yup. Thanks for last night. I like free coffee and talking to you," Zoey says before saying goodbye.

Avan barely manages to say 'bye' back. He stands there for a while, stunned. He knows he should be feeling more excited about this recent step forward with Zoey, but how come he's more excited to go out with Liz?

(Not on a date, mind you.)

**Liz's POV**

"Liz! Look what Cat's gonna bring to school in one of the episodes!" Ari holds up a stuffed baby giraffe and kisses it.

"Ari," Liz starts, not knowing how to begin. Ariana notices right away because she pulls Liz to her trailer so they can talk privately.

"What?" Ari asks expectantly as soon as she locked the door behind her. Liz sits on the floor and fixes her skirt, looking for the right words to say.

"Is it Avan?" Ari quips. She nods slightly. Ari collapses on her couch, squealing, "C'mon tell!"

"Okay, so you know how Avan and I aren't friends, right?" she finally says. Ari nods and twirls strands of red-velvet hair at the mention of his name.

"Well I don't know if he's sick of me hating him or something because he asked me to watch a movie with him on Saturday." Liz continues. "But it's NOT a date, okay." she quickly adds. "Ew."

Ari doesn't say anything for a moment. She stops twirling her hair and looks at the ground. Liz opens her mouth to say something.

"Liz," Ari looks up, beating her to it. "It's totally fine with me! I know how much you hate his guts. And it will be nice to see you guys friends for a change. But...can you take pictures? I wanna seeeee," she goes back to her giggly self and Liz exhales a breath she didn't realize she was holding. She hugs the smaller girl.

"Thanks, dingus. I will."

**Avan's POV**

Saturday comes sooner than expected. He decides to put on what he would usually wear to the movies but fixes his hair up a little bit more than his everyday bed head.

He arrives at Liz's apartment on time. As soon as Avan reaches out to buzz the door to Liz's place though, someone pushes past him.

"Sorry," the leather clad person looks back to apologize, while balancing two paper bags of groceries, her handbag, and her phone with her arms.

"Liz?" Avan peers at her. She does a double take.

"Oh, Jogia. You're early," Liz tries to check her watch. "Or I'm late. I'll just drop these off upstairs and I'll be right down."

"Let me carry that for you," Avan carefully carries one of the paper bags out of her hug.

"Thanks," was the muffled reply. They make their way to her unit in silence, and Avan begins to wonder if this whole movie thing is a mistake. I wonder if she's up to something, or if she's going to play a prank on me to make me look bad? he worries.

"Aaaand we're finally here," Liz unlocks the door with a flourish of her hand while holding a bag of groceries on the other.

"Just set them up on the table there and we'll get going," she instructed as she put hers on the table counter and started to spray perfume.

Avan shrugs his shoulders and does what he is told. Her place was roomy for an apartment, with a piano taking up most of the living room space and colorful patterned rugs accenting the white walls. It was all very modern with a splash of bohemian. He walks over to the ledge over the fire place, full of pictures of Liz's friends and family. (Or so he assumed.) He picks one up, trying to find her amidst the huge number of people in the photo. Hm, maybe this is when she did that Broadway show with Ariana.

"Ready?" his thoughts are interrupted by her sharp voice as she suddenly reemerges out of nowhere, wearing a flawy black top and dark wash jeans. He quickly puts the frame back in its place.

"Yup," he says, popping the 'p.' He jingles his car keys and looks at his co-actor appreciatively.

"You look really nice, Liz."

"This isn't a date, Jogia," she replies, her sapphire blue eyes meeting his. He slightly fidgets under her gaze.

"Thanks, but save the sappy compliments for your real dates." A ghost of a smirk plays on her mouth and she quickly turns to grab her bag. She walks out of the apartment and Avan grins to himself as he locks the wooden door behind him.

"Yeah, because it's totally my fault you look nice," he could see the mist of his breath in the air but the chill between them was beginning to warn. Liz flicks her eyes to him for a moment.

"Please, Jogia. Don't flatter yourself," she flips her hair and tries to hide her wide grin at his amused expression.

**Liz's POV**

They make their way downstairs and into his car. Aaaand (get this!) Avan even opens the door for her. Liz can't help but look up at him again and remind him.

"This isn't a date."

"Since when did opening a car door for girls indicate a date?" he smiles playfully, his chocolate brown eyes twinkling. He was so near that she could see the tiny gold flecks in his irises. She shrugs, and complies.

Once inside, Liz immediately scans the interior. Avan sure loves his ride, she muses. CDs were carefully stacked in a squeaky clean compartment, and his sunglasses sat on a dust-free rubber grip.

"Ready to go?" Avan's deep baritone interrupts her menagerie. She nods quickly and returns a CD she didn't realise she took. Liz turns to face him.

"Play anything you want." he says, turning the radio on.

This isn't so bad.


End file.
